NIPIGON HISTORICAL MUSEUM ROOM BY ROOM

 Leading up to our 50th Anniversary year 2023 I will be posting memories of the museum Room by Room.

NIPIGON HISTORICAL MUSEUM

ROOM BY ROOM  MEMORIES

THE SITTING ROOM

THE ROUND TABLE

The Round Table came from the Polly Lake Girl Guide Camp.

From 1972 to the mid 80’s most Board meetings were held around the Round Table in the Sitting Room.

In the early years it was the Museum Board members, the Secretary and Roland and Elvie representing the Nipigon Historical Museum Society (membership of 149) who “looked after” the museum for the first two years until we proved that we could operate  (be open to the Public) for xxx amount of hours  in a “season” 1973 and 1974.  Then the Museum was given a 5000 dollar start up fund from the Province.

Later the meetings were held upstairs in the large Workroom.

Once acquired, E.C. Everett’s Wallpaper Album was its centerpiece until the fire.

The Firemen were able to chop a hole in the roof and get a shower of water into the front rooms, thus saving most items in various conditions.

The rescued album went to the arena ( remember the arena roof had been condemned at that time) so the rink was cold and empty …just right for frozen storage until the conservers could thaw them out  in the entrance halls of the arena.

In 2005 our summer students  took the photographs off the album pages  using Goo Gone to release the tape and glue, then number each photo by the page it was on, scan each photo and then place it in large display albums using photo corners and spacing . So when on facebook you see ECE 15. 2 designated for a photo that means it was the second photo on page 15 of the Wallpaper Album.  They were going to stick the photos altogether on a page just like ECE had done. I nixed that idea.

You can see the Wallpaper Album in the ECE Display case.  The “New” display albums are usually on a table for viewing.

Sometimes the Round Table was just a table.

Like when Jack Stokes brought one of the Directors of the Henry Ford Museum of Dearborne Michigan for a visit.  Roland and Elvie cooked up a super doper dinner: white bean soup, homemade bread and Blueberry pie for desert.

When the Director saw our pottery sherds in the Archaeology Room 1, he offered to have his staff make us a pot to show what it would have looked like. We never did take up that offer.

So now  the Round Table can be seen in some of our Nipigon Narrations, Their Voice in History video Interviews.

Sometimes it has been used for Board Meetings.

Dan Gapen did his book signing at the Round Table.

Currently covered with a cotton crocheted table cloth from the 1930’s.

It is central to our small creation of The Sitting Room with the Black Piano, Jackfish Organ and the Wooden Bowl.